Thanks for visiting. On a semi-daily basis we scan Florida's major daily newspapers for significant Florida political news and punditry. We also review the editorial pages and political columnists/pundits for Florida political commentary. The papers we review include: the Miami Herald, Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Naples News, Sarasota Herald Tribune, St Pete Times, Tampa Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Tallahassee Democrat, and, occasionally, the Florida Times Union; we also review the political news blogs associated with these newspapers.

For each story, column, article or editorial we deem significant, we post at least the headline and link to the piece; the linked headline always appears in quotes. We quote the headline for two reasons: first, to allow researchers looking for the cited piece to find it (if the link has expired) by searching for the original title/headline via a commercial research service. Second, quotation of the original headline permits readers to appreciate the spin from the original piece, as opposed to our spin.

Not that we don't provide spin; we do, and plenty of it. Our perspective appears in post headlines, the subtitles within the post (in bold), and the excerpts from the linked stories we select to quote; we also occasionally provide other links and commentary about certain stories. While our bias should be immediately apparent to any reader, we nevertheless attempt to link to every article, column or editorial about Florida politics in every major online Florida newspaper.

"Months after a maverick elections supervisor irritated a leading voting-machine company and state officials by conducting unorthodox tests on voting equipment -- and finding security problems -- the state wants to make it harder for counties to check voting machines. The state is proposing rules that require all 67 election supervisors in Florida to get approval from the state Division of Elections before testing their voting equipment for any problems, including whether or not it has security flaws or if the vote-counting software is working correctly." "Machine testing targeted".

Few Republicans have ever lost votes by promising more tax cuts, and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Charlie Crist followed that well-worn path Thursday by proposing billions of dollars in tax cuts that would dramatically alter the money flow for education.

His announcement led to the harshest intra-party sniping yet, with a supporter of Crist's Republican primary opponent, state Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, calling Crist's plan "shallow" and "the mark of someone not ready to be governor."

"At high noon today, Charlie Crist is expected to roll out a big gun in his fight with Tom Gallagher for the crucial Hispanic vote in the Republican primary contest for governor. Mel Martinez, the first Cuban-American elected to the U.S. Senate, will endorse Crist at the Orange County Administration Building, where Martinez served as county chairman from 1998 to 2001." "Martinez to endorse Crist in GOP race for governor".

Hurricane Damage

"Windstorm insurance companies would have to cover water damage caused by hurricanes under a proposal Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis plans to release today, part of a multipronged proposal to solve the problems facing hurricane insurance customers in Florida." "Davis: Repeal law on hurricane water damage".

Predictable Response

"The state's warehousing of about 2,000 kids a day in its 26 detention centers has been noted in report after report, courtroom after courtroom."

Those centers, according to the state Department of Juvenile Justice official in charge of them, need at least $19 million worth of repairs. But two years ago, the state spent just $200,000. "Palm Beach," DJJ Assistant Secretary for Detention Ken Pifer said, "is a big problem." ...

Predictably, the state's response has been to deny the problems, downplay their severity and squash any public scrutiny of them.

"he wife of the Palm Beach County sheriff should not be on the Palm Beach County Commission. Dorothy Bradshaw, who is married to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, revealed this week that she might run for the District 6 seat of Tony Masilotti. He decided not to seek reelection after The Post reported that he helped his wife make $1.3 million from a land deal in Martin County, and then lied about it." "One Bradshaw, not two".

"Speaking after a meeting with The Palm Beach Post editorial board, Negron said his 61-year-old opponent represents the politics of the past. He suggested that McCollum's losses in previous statewide elections are evidence that Republicans are looking for new leaders. 'He's from another era, another generation of Florida,' said Negron, who is chairman of the House appropriations committee." "Negron says he's 'new generation' GOP".

"Palm Beach County's Health Care District board is healthier now that self-destructing state Rep. Irv Slosberg has been thrown off the dais. Say this about Slosberg: He did what many can't -- unite the County Commission. Commissioners, on a 6-0 vote, took a rare step in tossing Slosberg as their appointment, four months shy of the end of his term." "County Politics".